But I could have told you, Vincent...

Happy New Years! I hope you are all safe tonight.
I'm just looking forward to Friday. Cruise, here I come!

To wrap up the year, go to the first entry of each month and copy and past in the first line or two from your posts. Or, to make it really interesting, or if you don't post too much, like me, copy and paste in the first few lines of every entry you've got for the year. It's interesting.

( Oh 2008 )

I would say I'm glad 2008 will be over soon. I will forever remember and hate/love this year. I wish it had never happened. And yet, I can't wish things like that. Every experience, no matter how terrible (or especially the terrible ones) shapes you. You learn. You gain knowledge about the world and yourself. Even if it isn't good stuff. Even if you hate the knowledge and what it does to you. You wouldn't be who you are without all the good and all the bad. So I hate it. But I can't trade it. So why bother wishing for it. Even though as I read through even just the first few sentences I was yelling at myself inside not to have gone to Colorado. To not do it. You'll regret it forever. But you can't go back in time to warn yourself. Or nothing bad would ever happen. And every experience, no matter how terrible...

So I would say I'm glad. But I'm not. It only means time keeps going and there are more experiences to learn. Whether you want to or not. I'm terrified of what they might be. Right now my glass is half empty. I've lost my shiny newness for good. It's not coming back.

Maybe I'll get in one more positive post before the end of the year.

It's a winter wonderland outside! YAY!
Went out for a bit last night to see a comedian with Tracy and Ashley (plus Ashley's many friends) and then on to Killarney's where we met up with Mel and hoped to meet up with Phai. Had a drink there. Then got sick of the bar and decided to head to Steak N Shake as Tracy and I never really had dinner. And there we met up with Phai. She had been busy with the Myszka's Christmas dinner party.
On the way from the bar to the car, the rain was starting to turn snowy. Then by the time we got to Steak n Shake it was pure snow. And it was falling rather thickly. And now a silvery morning! Looks like about 3 inches. Oh happiness! I hope that since we're getting such snow early this year, we'll have a white Christmas too. That hasn't happened since middle school for me.
So I'm happy.

I start my new job tomorrow. I got the job through AmeriCorps and the Illinois Public Health Association. I'll be working at the McLean County Health Department for the next 11 months. Oh so much involved! But I'm really looking forward to it. I'm so grateful to have a real job now! IT only took me 2 months to get one.... Good lord. And this first week will be interesting. I told the 'Mo I'd still help them out, but just for this week for now. So it's 8-4:30 at the MCHD and then 5:30-8 at the Alamo. Oh joy. But it's only for one week, unless it's ok and I tell them I can do it another week. It's buyback and that's why they are staying open late and need the help. But I'm predicting exhaustion. We'll see.

I hope you liked this first update since god knows when.

I know I haven't written anything about me in a while. I've turned into a bit of a hermit. I'll be working on remedying that. Give me a little bit.

This is really cool. Check out how the world would vote in our election.

If the world could vote?

Posted using ShareThis

I'm loving certain celebrities right now.



Illinois' deadline for voter registration is October 7th.

In case you haven't heard, Gov. Blagojevich has decided to close 11 of Illinois' State Parks to help in balancing the budget. There is an online petition started by the Lt. Governor of Illinois, Pat Quinn, to stop the closing of these parks on November 1st. If you go to the link below it provides a map and a listing of all 11 parks and the petition to sign. You can view the petition and add your own words. At the bottom of the page it provides news links about the closures and links to other petitions and online groups. This petition is for Illinois residents only. If you are not an Illinois resident, there are other links to other petitions not requiring you to be a resident.
If any of you have visited any of these parks, you know how valuable they are. They are not just a hunk of land. They are a haven, a way to get in touch with nature, a way to do something fun at low cost. I myself have hiked, camped and cross-country skiied in Moraine View. I wouldn't trade those memories for anything. And I want the ability to make more of them.
In a time when the importance of envirnmental conservation and the effort of doing things "green" has finally come to the forefront of our consciousness, how can we let Gov. Blogjevich close these beautiful parks? We should be protecting this land and enjoying it's natural beauty, not selling it off just because Gov. Blagojevich can't control the state's budget.
I understand the budget needs to be balanced. This has been a problem for many years. Now he thinks he holds the answer in destroying our parks? It is not worth the cost. Not worth the loss of wonderful land, the jobs of park workers, the buisness it brings to local communities, the happiness and health of the people of Illinois. I'd rather see the Govenor's salary lowered, or any of the state lawmakers'.
I feel Gov. Blagojevich is out of touch with his constituents who live downstate. Perhaps if Gov. Blagojevich went running through one of these parks, instead of through his Chicago subdivision's streets, he might acquire an appreciation for the beauty and usefulness of these parks. But then I remember that he never leaves Chicago. Even though the capital of Illinois is Springfield.
So please join me on saying "No" to Gov. Blagojevich and letting him know just how we feel.
Thank you.
~Kate
http://standingupforillinois.org/saveourparks/index.php
 
Please pass this on to anyone you think might like to join in, or anyone who might not understand how important these places are to us, through e-mail or reposting on your lj. The more people who sign, the better. If you are no longer an Illinois resident, try signing the petition with your old Illinois address and see if it will let you sign. I think after living in Illinois for many years and enjoying these  parks, it should give you the right to sign. If not though, below is a link to another petition. There is also a Facebook group called "Save Moraine View State Park".
 http://www.gopetition.com/online/21603.html

Here's a link to Illinois' Parks and Recreation Dept. online. You can look up all the parks and recreation areas, then get out there and enjoy them!
http://dnr.state.il.us/lands/landmgt/PARKS/index.htm

Allo again!
I'm back to feeling good. Life is so much less stressful with out Lee and the summer staff in general. I enjoy the older ladies of the fall staff. Most are married, but independent. Awesome women. And many of them have had so great life experiences. 6 months in a Tibetan Buddhist temple and working for the Tibetan cause. And older woman, Rosamond, was a good part of the women's liberation movement in the 60s. Even though she was married to a conservative minister at the time. They ended up divorced, but it's not so surprising. She has a lot of stories.
Mom and Spring visited all of last week. We hiked A LOT. 13 miles on Tuesday which was originally up the North Inlet, but because of stubborn moose, we ended up the East Inlet trail instead. Man was that steep after a while. Then Wednesday we went on a staff hike to go see Bowen Lake up on the tundra. Very awesome. I love staff hikes. Everyone's so happy and working together well. Thursday we went and visited Spring's daughter who just moved to Denver area about 2 months ago. It was a really nice visit. We borrowed Dylan's beat up old Dodge Ram to get there. It was a great adventure. Friday Spring and I went and got massages in town. Oh man was that nice. Mom's planning on getting one when she goes back home because she has a gift certificate for it. Saturday before they left we went up the North Inlet (sans moose this time) to Cascade Falls. The whole week was great. Exhausting, but lots of fun. I could totally see mom coming back to Shadowcliff and becoming part of "the old ladies" fall staff some day. All the staff liked both of them a lot. We cooked chili for dinner one night. That was a lot of fun to share with everyone. We all took turns making dinner while our chef was gone. We ate well despite Jeff's absence.
I've only got one month left and I plan to enjoy it to the fullest. It's too bad I couldn't really enjoy it so much till now. I think seeing mom has calmed me. And I've moved past missing Lee despite how much we were wrong for each other. And I know what's waiting for me at home- looking for a job. So I'm going to enjoy the freedom I have here while I have it. Home might also be a bit difficult because dad won't be there waiting for me. So I'm going to enjoy the detachment Shadowcliff offers me from having to deal with missing dad at every turn. When I'm home he'll be all around me. Here, I can live a bit of a separate life. But I'll prep myself for dealing with that too so I'm not completely lost when I get there.
Hopefully I'll be heading down south to Colorado Springs/ Garden of the Gods area with Libby on the 1st of October. That's when we'll be free and I'll have 3 days to do whatever till my flight out on the 4th. Maybe down to the Sand Dunes national park too. And whatever else on the way. Sounds good to me.

Today I decided I needed to get out and go somewhere. Yet I know my hips are not as big a fan of hiking as the rest of me is. The pain usually lasts for a couple days after doing real hiking. Not enjoyable.
So I decided to go over to the east shore of Grand Lake since I had never been there.
It's a very nice area. I walked through the town to Point Park and stopped for a bit under the tree and snacked. Then I found a little path and kept walking along the water. I can across a woman sitting on her back porch and I feared I was on private property and could get in trouble so I asked. She was a sweet old woman, probably in her 80s. She told me it was no problem and I was free to come and go. I thanked her and kept walking. I ran into a fence after not too long that she had warned me about so I looked around then turned back. She was still outside, had a hand saw in hand and we stopped to talk for a bit. She told me her great-grandfather had built their cabin and various other little things. We parted ways again. But I stopped to look at her gorgeous old house and turned around to ask her more about it.  The date over the door is 1896. And It's a beautiful example of Rocky Mountain Rustic. This is where the outside of the cabin walls are covered with the lodgepole pines cut flat. So the outsides are covered in the bark, which gets peely and dark over time. It's very unique. And this cabin had beautiful wood designs that are hard for me to describe. Often the older houses will have aesthetic little touches to them. A little sunburst motif of small lodgepole sticks and so forth. I'll have to take a picture to show you.
Robin Yeats is her name and she invited me back and I invited her up to Shadowcliff. I plan on seeing her again. She's very sweet and full of history of Grand Lake and family stories. I can't wait to go back! It's wonderful to make new friends.
I think the downpour has passed. I'll head back up to Shadowcliff now.

The Beatles Invented Twitter
07:15 Woke up, fell out of bed. #
07:25 Dragged a comb across my head.#
07:41 Found my way downstairs and drank a cup.#
07:45 Looking up I noticed I was late.#
07:47 Found my coat and grabbed my hat.#
07:49 Made the bus in seconds flat.#
10:48 Found my way upstairs and had a smoke.#
13:36 Somebody spoke and I went into a dream.#

Thanks imgomez